Whether they’re emerging because of marketing imperatives, rising energy costs, or some combination of the two, green jobs have more than gotten their foot in the door in the design-and-construction world, according to a study released this month by McGraw-Hill Construction.
Based in part on a survey of architects, engineers, and contractors, the report says 661,000 industry professionals – about a third of the overall industry workforce – say they have green jobs. The study also shows that the overall share of green jobs is expected to grow to 45% by 2014.
While the term green job – as it applies to the construction industry, at least – is sometimes interpreted loosely and vaguely, for the purposes of the study it was defined as a job “involving more than 50% of work on green projects or designing and installing uniquely green systems, while excluding support or administrative professionals and manufacturing, production or transportation-related services.”
Taking the description a step further, green projects would include those that follow ecologically sound construction practices, incorporate sustainably produced or recycled materials, and result in buildings that operate with a high level of energy and water efficiency.
Among other highlights of the construction-study, the research shows that architects, engineers, and contractors report green jobs on the rise at levels that match the McGraw-Hill Construction Dodge green building market sizing:
- 35% of architecture, engineering, and contracting firms focus on green jobs today, in line with the expected green building market share of 35% in 2010.
- 45% of of architecture, engineering, and contracting firms expect to have green jobs by 2014, in line with the expected green building market share of 48%-50% by 2015.
The study also found:
- Trades jobs (carpenters, HVAC/boilermakers, electricians, concrete/cement masons, and plumbers) are expected to see the greatest growth in green jobs: 15% of trades today are green jobs, and this is expected to increase to 25% in three years.
- Green jobs yield advantages such as more opportunity (42%) and better career advancement (41%), according to respondents.
- Training is essential for getting and maintaining green jobs; 30% of green job workers say they needed major training when they started, and most report that formal education and training programs will continue to be needed. Hiring firms agree: 71% of hiring decision makers maintain that being green-certified increases competitiveness.
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LightSpace 2, a light-filled take on a warehouse-to-condo conversion designed by Baird Sampson Neuert Architects, was one of the case studies at the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, held earlier this month in Toronto. McGraw-Hill Construction’s vice president of industry insights and alliances, Harvey Bernstein, hosted a panel discussion at Greenbuild that focused on green jobs in architecture and construction: “The Green Workforce: Is the Construction Industry Ready for What’s Next?”
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